


Library

by Its_Raineing_Words



Series: Hermione Granger and the Bulgarian Seeker [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Books, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Getting to Know Each Other, Hermione is charmed, Libraries, Meet-Cute, Nerdiness, One Shot, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Viktor is a gentleman, they're both nerds a little bit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 06:02:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15701313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Its_Raineing_Words/pseuds/Its_Raineing_Words
Summary: Hermione is in the library on the weekend, like always, but this time is slightly different.





	Library

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first HP fic I’ve posted (not written) and I hope you like it. I love this pairing and think that they really work well together. It took me a relatively short time to write this so if there are any mistakes please let me know as I don’t have a beta reader.

Madam Prince had a special understanding with Hermione, they were kindred spirits and as such got on famously. She would let Hermione stay in the library long after the other students had left, she would have her evening cup of tea in her office and then she would let Hermione know that she was about the head to her rooms and the two of them would leave the library together. This was especially useful to Hermione ever since Harry had been forcefully entered into the Tri-Wizard tournament, she needed all the time in the library she could get. Of course she could always check the books out and take them into the Gryffindor common room but it was always loud in there and her dorm room was just as bad, she much preferred to hole herself up in the library under the careful watch of Madam Prince. Very few dared to cross her and even fewer crossed her twice. That made the library a very peaceful place to study, that and the atmosphere there was such that Hermione could forget the world around her and get lost in whatever was in front of her for a few hours whether that was with homework, extracurricular studying, reading for leisure or in this case, researching for one of the many tough situations Harry managed to get himself into on a regular basis. Though this one wasn’t his fault, she had to admit, so she didn’t mind the work so much.

Hermione heard the scrape of Madam Prince’s chair as she rose to go into her office and make herself her usual cup of tea. No one else was in the library which gave Hermione half an hour of uninterrupted research time, time that was sorely needed with the first challenge drawing close. She needed to find a way to prepare him in such a way that, no matter the challenge, he would have a least a fighting chance. It was proving to be a difficult task as she flicked to the table of contents of ‘10,000 spells and their applications, how to make it out of any danger’, it was a beautiful book, forest green with gold and copper filigree that curled around the spine and edges of the front and back covers like ivy across the old wall at the end of her road back at her home. Even though it had been enchanted to be smaller so that it could fit on a bookshelf it was still massive and was even bigger when opened, as it expanded to show all of the pages. She had combed her way through all of the first chapter which in itself was 200 pages long and made note of a few spells that could be of use, though might potentially take too long to teach Harry as she would have to learn them herself before teaching him. She’d also looked through a variety of potion books, noting down a few potions for enhanced energy and the like, general things that would help no matter the situation. Though she knew she’d have a tough time obtaining the ingredients but if the potion was useful enough she would make it work somehow as she had always done with everything, if it needed to happen she would make it happen. As she had no clue what the challenge would involve it felt like a useless task to find potions for every eventuality, instead she focused on finding potions and spells that could serve in a variety of different situations. It was proving to be a stressful endeavour, especially as she’d been left to her own devices and had no help at all. Regardless of that, she conducted her research methodically which gave her some relief from the stress that ate away at her because of the fact that Harry could really die. Some things never changed and her outlook on research was one of them.

A wave of tiredness hit her and she yawned, putting a hand to her mouth before brushing some errant curls out of her face. Her hair always got more unmanageable when she was researching, probably because she had a habit of running her hands through it. Hermione looked at her notes which had become progressively more incomprehensible as the day progressed. She did have a lot of good stuff to go on, however, and she would speak to Harry about it. Not that he would be grateful enough to make it really feel worth it, of course, but that was just how he was and she understood it. Both Harry and Ron assumed that spending the entire day in the library, foregoing lunch and dinner, even, was just what she liked to do of a weekend. Still, it sometimes annoyed her that her bookworm image was so pervasive that it poisoned even how her closest friends perceived her. She sighed again and tidied up the pile of books that had covered the entire table, the pile of books was larger than she had thought.  
“I really am a nerd,” she grumbled.  
Suddenly a polite cough made her snap her head up and her eyes widened when she saw not Madame Prince but Viktor Krum, the Durmstrang champion, “You...have a lot of books there.”  
His voice was deep and rumbling and his thick Bulgarian accent was foreign to her, it made her nervous, she had no idea how to act, “Yes I do. I’m helping Harry, he needs all the help he can get,” Viktor nodded and looked at her intensely and Hermione shifted in her seat, “Why are you here? The library is about to close.”  
“You.”  
“Excuse me?” Her eyes were as wide as saucers now.  
“I have seen you a lot here, in the library. You always look...busy...not wanting to talk. But I want to. So I wait for you to look up, but you don’t. I don’t want to stop you reading but I want to talk to you more so I wait. Days go by and I wait but...now is enough wait. I thought I talk now.”  
“Oh...well...um curfew is in an hour but I can um...talk to you. Not that I know what you want to speak about.”  
“Is it not obvious? You. You are…” he growled in frustration, “how do I say this? You always read, you like to learn. I like that.”  
She blushed, “I suppose I am rather studious. Most people see that as a bad thing, though. Um...do take a seat, Mr Krum.”  
“Viktor, please,” he said as he sat down.  
“Viktor,” she corrected, “how are you finding the tournament so far? Harry has not been enjoying it.”  
Viktor smiled a tiny smile, “I am tired. The challenges are…”  
“Challenging?” She asked, smiling.  
He laughed, “Yes, challenging. I am busy always. I only train, eat, sleep...no fun.”  
“Well, if you want to know how to balance work and fun you’ve come to the wrong person,” she gestured to her massive stack of books and notes, “I mean, I’m here on a Saturday, aren’t I? Speaking of...I had better start putting these books away,” her Gryffindor nature showed through as she added, “Feel free to follow me.”  
With that Hermione tried to pick up ‘10,000 spells and their applications, how to make it out of any danger’ but she was struggling, she grimaced as she tried to get a better hold of it with both arms, “Bloody hell! I don’t remember it being this heavy before.”  
In a moment Viktor had swooped in and taken the book from her arms, “Let me.”  
“Oh..um, ok. If you want...I’ll...just go and get the others,” she stammered, feeling embarrassed. He held the book under one arm like it was nothing.  
They made their way over to where Hermione had gotten the books, they didn't speak as they put the books away but it didn’t feel strained or awkward. Once they were done Hermione did begin to feel awkward, however, and she forced herself to speak.  
“So...we have about twenty minutes until Madam Prince closes the library and after that I’ll have to head back to my common room as Harry and Ron are expecting me.”  
He nodded, “That is time enough. We speak now. I want to know you more,” he looked to be considering what to say next, “Do you like Hogwarts?”  
She smiled, “I love it! Before I came here I knew nothing about magic and now...I can be here and I can learn, it’s such an amazing opportunity. I never forget how lucky I am to be here.”  
“Good. I see lots of people who think they should be in Durmstrang, they do nothing. But you...you aren't like that. I like that you really love magic, I can see that you do.”  
She blushed yet again, she hadn’t felt so seen by another person in a long time and never in such a pleasant way. It didn’t feel like she was being judged, merely appreciated. And to be appreciated by a handsome boy was a new but enjoyable experience for her, “And you?” When he looked confused she clarified, “Do you like Hogwarts?”  
“It is very different to Durmstrang, there is more work there and it is cold. I like the cold and the work, I feel as though I’m...getting better? There’s a word for it, I forget.”  
“Improve?” She supplied.  
“Yes! I improve there and here...this is a good place but I would be bored if I was here without the tournament.”  
“I can appreciate that. I sometimes find my work too easy which is why I spend so much time here.”  
He nodded, “Me too. The amount of Bulgarian books is...good, I didn’t know they’d be there.”  
“A bit of a surprise? Hogwarts has one of the biggest Wizarding libraries in Britain, I’m not surprised the foreign section is so good. It is the only section I’ve never needed to use, though.”  
“It is good for me, my professors give me extra work and I need the library for it,” he chuckled.  
“They do? What sort of work?” They settled back into where they had been sat before but Hermione noticed that his chair was a lot closer than it had been before.  
“At Durmstrang we do a lot more...Dark Arts, you probably know this,” she nodded and he continued, “Right now, my defence professor is training us how to control Fiendfyre, how to make it what we want.”  
Hermione’s chest tightened, she had never heard the Dark Arts spoken about so casually, she hardly noticed her own voice as she spoke, “Like what?”  
Viktor leaned back in his chair slightly as he thought, “Like dragons and snakes, things like that. I’ve been having difficult time with dragon...ugh… the little things on dragons, you know?”  
“Scales?” He nodded happily, “I can imagine that would be difficult, sounds like a lot of detail.”  
“Yes. Very difficult but my professor says I need to know it, I don’t agree but I do what he says,” he shrugged.  
“Same as here, then. I do lots of things I’d rather not do,” she replied.

The conversation died down for a moment and Hermione took the time to really look at Viktor, she’d seen him around, of course but she’d prided herself on not being taken in by his charms. He was tall and muscular in a way that made him look much older than he was, the light dusting of stubble only added to that. His eyes were very dark brown but when artificial light of the library hit them she could see flecks of extremely dark green-the whole effect was like looking into the Forbidden Forest at twilight when the fading light only made the colours brighter and not more muted. She’d never seen anyone with eyes like that before. In fact his whole demeanour spoke of someone that had more to be discovered; when she had looked at him from afar she had merely seen a Quidditch player and now she saw someone else, someone she wanted to get to know.  
“You’ve told me what you study at Durmstrang but I want to know what it’s really like for you.”  
Viktor smiled slightly, preening a little under her gaze, “It’s cold, of course. But not bad. It’s...outside it’s cold and we play Quidditch and fly everywhere, everyone flies even if they’re not playing Quidditch but inside it’s warm, there are fires everywhere. Some fires are red, some are blue, some are green, they’re there to make the castle beautiful. I know people think Durmstrang is a bad place but I don’t think so, I like it.”  
Hermione smiled, “You do make it sound like a good place to be. Though,” she weighed her words carefully, “I do think it’s a shame that they don’t accept Muggleborns.”  
Viktor nodded, “I think so too, my family like most people. We don’t think people are worse than us just because of how they were born. No one chose to be Muggleborn so why be angry about it? I’m sure they just want to fit into the Wizard world but people make fit hard.”  
An unnamed emotion filled her chest at his words, she was always so afraid that someone was going to find out she was Muggleborn and have a bad reaction-it had certainly happened before. Viktor has assuaged her fears completely, before she had assumed that since Karkaroff was an ex-Death Eater then all of his students would share his beliefs but now she realised that wasn’t the case and it was wrong of her to have assumed it.  
“Yes,” she said, nodding, “lots of people assume that I’m not a powerful witch because I’m Muggleborn but I prove them wrong.”  
Hermione let a slow smile spread across her face as she thought of all the times Draco’s face had fallen when she’d learnt a spell quicker than him or answered a question he didn’t know the answer to.  
Viktor laughed, “Now you look like Durmstrang girl! They don’t let anyone tell them anything.”  
“I didn’t know Durmstrang had female students.”  
“We do, it’s just that Karkaroff didn’t let them compete. They were not happy about it at all.”  
Hermione snorted, “If they’re anything like the boys then I can imagine that they wouldn’t be.”  
“Durmstrang...like for us to be the best,” he replied.  
“Yes, I’ve noticed that Durmstrang is a very competitive school.”  
He laughed, “Very true. We are told from first day that we need to...stand out but blend in. Doesn’t make sense but...is how it is. We have no houses like you, we are all the same. Same uniform, same hair but...Karkaroff makes us...show we’re the best...compete! That’s the word! Compete. He make us compete to show we are good and enough for him but...sometimes I think that I don’t care if he think I’m good.”  
She smiled kindly, “That’s a good thing. My parents always told me to listen to my heart, if something seems wrong it probably was. So if your headmaster is someone that you don’t particularly respect or care about, that seems to me to be a decision that you came to on your own.”  
“Yes, my parents told me same. Keep good head, they said, don’t stop thinking.”  
“Exactly, critical thinking is key?” Viktor tilted his head slightly in confusion but didn’t stop her but she still stopped and explained, she knew that he was Bulgarian and that Durmstrang spoke German so English must be his third language at least which was an impressive show of intellect to her in its own right, “Basically it just means thinking about everything and not letting someone in authority and what society believes change us too much. It’s about taking everything into account when making decisions.”  
He hummed in thought, “I like that.”  
“Good,” she replied, blushing at his gaze.

Just as she was about to speak again she heard Madam Prince walking towards them.  
“Hermione, I didn’t expect you to have company, especially Mr Krum,” and then in a conspiratorial stage whisper, “I approve.”  
Hermione just blushed even harder, “We’ll just be going now, Irma.”  
The librarian just smiled smugly and walked away towards the doors followed by Hermione and Viktor who were walking more closely together than strictly necessary. 

Once they’d left the library and Madam Prince had swept away, austensibly to get an early night, and left the two of them alone again Viktor took a step towards Hermione and she gasped but didn’t move away.  
“Herm-I-own,” his mispronouncistion of her name made her smile despite herself, “I want to see you again.”  
“Oh,” she was used to that amount of candour, perhaps it was because he was older and perhaps it was because he was European but no one at Hogwarts acted like that, “I...me too.”  
He smiled, “Good, we agreed then. You’ll be here tomorrow, yes?” She nodded, “I willl see you.”  
“Yes. Um...good.”  
She was about to turn and run away to her dorm to hide under her blanket and blush the night away but he stopped her with a hand on her wrist. He didn’t use any strength but something told her that if he had wanted to he could have easily stopped her. It made her shiver.  
Viktor brought her hand up to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it, “I am happy you talked to me. I see you tomorrow.”  
“Tomorrow, then.”

They walked their separate ways and if, when she got back to the common room, she looked happier than usual no one commented. Harry thought she’d just found something useful and Ron hadn’t noticed. Hermione slept well that night and if her dreams featured a certain Bulgarian seeker, well that was her business.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Like I said before, this didn’t take me too long to write and I have more ideas for this pairing so...if you enjoyed do let me know as comments inspire me to actually write.


End file.
